On December 18, 2004, Ella and Siegfried Enke will be celebrating the 50th year of their marriage. Just as in any marriage, it has been a time of joy and sorrow, of love and anguish, of poverty and plenty, of growth and triumph. The love that they have developed and shared, over the course of this half century, has been grounded in Christ Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. He is the One Who has seen them through, and continues to be the source of the life that they have together.

They met in a most romantic manner on a wintry day in New Hampshire. Each was there to get a respite from the week’s endeavors with a pleasant evening of ice-skating. As Ella (Oma as we call her) was lacing up her skates, a young man hit a partially submerged log and went spiraling across the ice, ending up at her feet. As Oma helped him up, she realized that he was a young, visiting minister, whose picture she had recently seen in the newspaper. As she had read the article about Siegfried (Opa as we refer to him), she heard a voice in her heart telling her that this was to be her husband. She wondered at it since she had never met the man until he was sprawled at her feet. 

Opa had come to the United States to spread the word about the evils of Communism. He had been born in Germany, and had to escape from East Germany due to the persecution of the Communists against Christianity in East Germany. He had jumped a train into West Berlin, just before the Berlin Wall was erected. He was brought to the United States in order to personally declare the truth about the Communist system. His message was so important, that when his visa expired, the United States Congress passed a special action to allow him to remain in the United States. It was this mission that had brought him to New Hampshire, and into the heart of his future bride.

Their married life began with the need to stay with Oma’s parents in Connecticut. Opa was traveling throughout the United States, on the evangelistic field, bringing a very small income. His travels kept him on the road 6 to 8 months out of every year, and would for almost the first decade of their marriage. While living in Connecticut, two sons, Ted and Gary, were born, and it became very evident that the family could no longer live on the graciousness of Oma’s parents. Oma read an ad about a job teaching Physical Education at a small Christian College in Springfield, Missouri, and applied. She was accepted, and the family soon moved to the Midwest. It gave Opa a more central area from which to travel, and Oma the teaching job that brought in a small income. 

The Missouri years were spent in the dorms of Evangel College, with Opa on the road, and Oma teaching classes, helping with school accreditation, and raising two, gentle-spirited, and congenial young boys, who raised havoc all over the campus. After several years, exhaustion took its toll on both spouses. Opa was hospitalized, and told by his doctor that any more travel would kill him. Oma was utterly fatigued from dealing with two growing, healthy boys, and preparing for the next day’s lessons until two in the morning. The family finally had sufficient means to buy a home off-campus, and Opa began working in the landscaping business, and then as an iron-worker, while still ministering as the Lord gave opportunity. He then began in the life insurance business as an agent. This job, with its subsequent promotion to district manager, led the family to relocate to the outskirts of Jefferson City, Missouri, where country living soon revived Oma, and gave her time to begin taking art lessons. She had found a means whereby she could relax, and give her artistic skills an opportunity to flourish in oils and water colors.

Opa continued to move up the company ladder until he was offered a position as Vice-President of the California area. With much trepidation and concern for the welfare of the boys coming to the center of the liberal west, with its hippies and drug culture, the family again relocated to Woodland Hills. Both parents were very concerned for the boys with all the moving because they had little opportunity to create many friendships. They were never in the same school for more than a year, until junior high school. There were many hours spent in intense prayer on the part of the whole family, with a trust in the Lord that was developed, day by day. 

The love of the Lord, and the constant trust in Him, was the main-stay for the Enke family. There was never a question about where the priorities were to be placed. The Lord came before all else, and it was only in the knowledge that He was guiding that any moves were made. That is what eventually led to Opa leaving the insurance company, when he was forced to choose between the Lord or the company. His choice left the family without any income, but with an ever increasing trust in the Lord to see them through. The Lord was very faithful to provide each need as it arose. It was not easy, getting by day to day with only the Lord knowing from whom each meal would be given, but it built a character and a trust in God that was unshakeable. It was this utter reliance upon the Lord for everything that led to the Conejo Koinonia fellowship.

Conejo Koinonia came into being, not through any work on the part of people, but through the guidance and leading of the Holy Spirit. As Oma and Opa were living the life of faith in God, many began to see them as being the witness of the faith of God in action. Because of that testimony, people were soon drawn to them for counseling and for instruction in the ways of the Lord. The Bible studies that began in their house soon grew to a number that required a larger room. The meetings went from a bank meeting room, to a school, to the old chicken-coops of CLC to the present use of the rooms at CLU. Opa found himself traveling, many times with Oma at his side, once again as he led Bible Studies in Riverside, in Lompoc, and in Mission Viejo as members of the fellowship moved away, but still desired to hear the Word of God.

The traveling is now over, except for recreational purposes, but the ministry is still vitally alive. The life that the Lord built in the union of Oma and Opa is as vibrant and fresh as the day they said “I do!” It has taken a deeper tone and character, one forged through the fires of trials and tribulations. It is the living witness of what God always intended in the union of a husband and a wife set together in His plan and purpose. They are reaching the twilight of their time together on this earth, but it has been a journey that they have walked together, hand-in-hand with the Lord, always seeking His countenance, His guidance, and His glory, no matter what the cost.